In the Void: SW & ST
by starphoenix23
Summary: Star Wars meets Star Trek in a strange accident that leaves 3 ships stranded in a mysterious Void. Includes a strange cast of characters, namely: a pragmatic Vulcan, a naive Jedi, a fierce Klingon, a psycho droid, and a fanatic Imperial pilot! CH 9 UP!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Star Wars and Star Trek (duh!) Star Trek was invented by Gene Roddenberry. Star Wars was created by George Lucas. All of the characters in THIS story, however, are mine.  
  
"You will not sue me" *waves hand in an attempt to use a Jedi Mind trick on the surrounding crowd of attorneys* "It would be 'illogical' to sue me. Besides, I'm related to two lawyers. Qapla!"  
  
CHAPTER 1: THE BLACK HOLE  
  
"Wonderful," the Klingon said sarcastically. "Another anomaly. Why must you Starfleeters investigate every little nebula or star you come in contact with?"  
  
"This is a mission of exploration," a Human cadet replied, trying to sound professional. "It is our task to map this sector, and map this sector we will."  
  
A Romulan sighed loudly. "My brother got assigned to a top-of-the line Warbird-class starship. My cousin was assigned to Imperial Intelligence. And here I am playing nursemaid to a bunch of Humans."  
  
"Your assessment is incorrect," a Vulcan interrupted. "Only one of us is Human."  
  
The Romulan glared at the Vulcan girl who had spoken. "Mission of exploration," he sneered. "I'd rather be blasting Dominion warships."  
  
"So would I," the Klingon agreed. "But I am not whining about it. If you have any honor whatsoever, you will shut up now and do us all a favor."  
  
"Can we stop arguing and get to work?" a Bajoran asked. "Please?"  
  
Sae Najen sighed and looked around at her fellow cadets. Najen was the Bajoran one. She was a cadet in Starfleet, and proud of it. But it was at times like this when she wished she had stayed on Bajor and joined the Bajoran Space Force. The BSF certainly wasn't as well-equipped or as famous as the Federation's Starfleet, but at least they didn't go jaunting around in tiny little shuttlecrafts filled with aliens that hated each other.  
  
They were supposed to be on a mapping mission, to "determine areas of strategic interest in the Detari Sector". Hah! The Dominion had shown absolutely no interest in the Detari Sector at all-and neither had anyone else, for that matter. This mission was useless, but it wasn't as if anyone listened to the strategic ideas of cadets.  
  
Najen's companions were another part of the problem. First there was the Human boy, James Peter Kirk. James was the most arrogant person Najen had ever met, and it certainly didn't help his ego to know that he was the authentic great-great-grandnephew of the Captain Kirk, Great Explorer and Hero of the Federation.  
  
Next was T'Lor. She was a Vulcan, and that was all that needed to be said. She was like any Vulcan-cold, precise, and utterly unemotional from her pointed ears and slanted eyebrows to her boot-shod feet.  
  
The last two people weren't in Starfleet, or even Federation citizens at that.  
  
K'Bhena was a Klingon, and also a member of the Klingon military. Klingon were a race obsessed with the pursuit of honor. One way to gain honor was to fight and win as many battles as possible (without resorting to dishonorable methods, of course). That made the Klingon military one of the most feared and respected of its kind throughout the entire Alpha Quadrant of the galaxy. The Klingons were a race of warriors-and no one cared to dispute that fact.  
  
And lastly, there was Levek, a Romulan. In appearance, he was very similar to T'Lor. He had the same pointed ears and green blood, and his ancestors had even lived on Vulcan. But Levek's ancestors had rebelled against the peaceful philosophy of modern Vulcans and left their planet millennia ago to form the warlike Romulan Star Empire. Romulans did not believe in typical Vulcan ideas like purging their emotions or being pacifists-in fact, they had been the Federation's ruthless enemy for over 200 years. However, the Romulans had recently put aside their hostilities with the Federation to fight against a common enemy-the Dominion. The Klingons had done the same.  
  
Both K'Bhena and Levek had been added to this training mission as a gesture of trust by the Federation. It was a gesture that sounded good on paper-but in practice it was open warfare waiting to happen.  
  
Then T'Lor's voice broke into Najen's reverie:  
  
"There is a strange anomaly opening off our port side," T'Lor reported calmly, with no trace of fear in her composed posture. "It seems to be some sort of gravity well."  
  
"You mean it's pulling us in?" James asked, sounding panicked.  
  
"Yes," T'Lor replied. "I am attempting to break free of it." Her fingers flew over the console. Najen looked down at her own console, and was chagrined by what she saw. They were still getting sucked in-and faster too!  
  
The shuttle rocked from side to side. "I suggest that we brace ourselves," T'Lor added.  
  
"Impossible!" James cried. "Anomalies don't just pop up in the middle of nowhere!"  
  
"Apparently this one does," Levek said dryly.  
  
"But this shouldn't be happening!"  
  
"Please control yourself, Cadet Kirk," T'Lor interjected. "Emotional outbursts will not help our situation."  
  
"I hate to say it, but I agree with the Vulcan," Levek added.  
  
"Shut up, Romulan!" James retorted. "Just shut up!"  
  
And K'Bhena didn't help anyone by adding:  
  
"It is a good day to die! I go to Sto-Vo-Kor [Klingon heaven] to join my honored ancestors! Qapla!"  
  
And then the shuttle went straight into the anomaly, which had opened its gaping jaws like a black hole. And then all they knew was darkness.  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
Cale Forton fired the blaster cannon at the approaching Imperial walkers. Alongside him, a dozen other Rebels fired with him. They were the few, the proud.the infantryman. Also known as grunts, landsies, and "those poor devils".  
  
"STOP FIRING!" their leader, Avram Lorens yelled. "We've done all we can do. Let's go get a transport before we're marooned on this floating iceball!"  
  
Cale jumped up and ran for the Rebel compound. The Imperial walkers continued to fire, causing the ground to shake periodically. Cale had to find a transport. He could think of no worse fate than being left behind on the frozen world of Hoth.  
  
Inside the compound, Cale ran into Kobawcca, his Wookie friend. "Come on, Koby!" Cale cried, grabbing the Wookie's fur and pulling. "Let's get outta here!"  
  
Koby growled his agreement and started pulling Cale in the opposite direction. He spoke in a series of grumbles, roars, and growling that only Cale could interpret.  
  
"What do you mean the transports are gone?" Cale shouted back, feeling dread start to sink in.  
  
Koby roared back.  
  
"What?" Cale cried. "Talk slower, you're going too fast! I can't understand you!"  
  
Cale ran after Koby. His friend might be hard to understand, but Cale would trust him with his life. If Koby had a plan, then Cale would follow.  
  
As they ran together, Koby spoke once more.  
  
"You found a ship to take us out?" Cale asked. Koby bobbed his head up and down vehemently to show his assent.  
  
"Well then, let's go!"  
  
They found the ship after only a minute of running. A violet-haired human girl wearing a strange robed outfit was waving to them. Cale didn't know her, but apparently Koby did.  
  
"Come on, you two!" she cried. Cale and Koby rushed inside.  
  
The vessel had only a tiny cockpit. But it was a cargo ship, and Cale knew that there was plenty of room in the backs of those.  
  
"My name's Talela," the girl with the violet hair said hastily. She strapped herself into the pilot's seat and began tapping in coordinates. Cale moved into the seat beside her.  
  
They were about to lift off when they heard a banging on the side of the ship.  
  
"Ohhh, please let me in!" A feminine and slightly metallic voice was shouting. "Don't maroon me to be scrapped and melted down by Imperials!"  
  
It was a droid.  
  
"We don't have time!" Cale cried. "Leave it behind!"  
  
But the robed girl had other ideas. She gently pressed a button on her console and opened the hatch. The droid scampered inside, its metal feet loudly clanging against the hard floor.  
  
Then the ship lifted off and blasted into space.  
  
Akiran deftly spun the TIE fighter around, joining the rest of his squadron.  
  
"About time you got here, Delta 5," the instructor's sarcastic voice sounded from the intercom. "Are you ready to practice now?"  
  
Akiran solemnly flipped on his intercom. "Yes, sir."  
  
The instructor didn't bother to reply. "All fighters," he ordered. "Prepare to demonstrate the Alletor Maneuver on my command."  
  
Akiran sighed and joined his fellow trainees in performing yet another boring maneuver.  
  
Akiran had grown up on the isolated colony world of Sparatos, with the terrifying prospect of becoming a farmer when he grew up. So it was no surprise to anyone that he left to join the Imperial Fleet when he got the chance. Being a TIE pilot had sounded exciting, but Akiran was now beginning to see that it was just a lot of work.  
  
Akiran wanted to see action, adventure, and the chance to blast some Rebels out of the sky. In fact, there was rumored to be a skirmish going on in the Hoth system, a mere three systems away. Oh how Akiran wished he could join it.  
  
He would soon get his chance.  
  
Suddenly the instructor's voice came on through the intercom. "Delta Squadron, there is a small Rebel ship entering our system. Repeat: there is a small Rebel ship entering our system. It is virtually unarmed and should pose no threat. Capture it and the crew, alive if possible. Lieutenant Perreus out."  
  
Akiran couldn't believe it. Finally, some action! He swung his ship around to confront the Rebel ship.  
  
The ship was a small cargo ship, the kind that normally had a crew complement of one to two people, but it could be carrying more.  
  
Akiran activated his weapons systems and charged towards the ship. The ship was almost certainly running its navicomputer and preparing to make the jump to hyperspace. Akiran had to take out its engines before it did.  
  
The ship moved away, heading towards a strange dark cloud. Weird, Akiran thought. He had not seen that cloud before when he was training. It was as if it had just appeared out of nowhere.  
  
----------------------------------  
  
Talela rapidly punched in controls. "It's not working!" she cried. "I can't get free!"  
  
---------------------------- The ship was being pulled toward the black hole. Cale tried some maneuvers of his own, but he was no pilot, and his success was no better.  
  
Koby ran toward the ship's engines, in a vain attempt to give them the boost of power needed to get out.  
  
It didn't work.  
  
Akiran watched, horrified, as the black cloud swallowed the Rebel ship, knowing that the same fate awaited him. His TIE fighter was caught in the gravity well-and there was no way out. 


	2. Chapter 2: The Middle of Nowhere

CHAPTER 2: IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE  
  
"Where are we?" Najen asked.  
  
"I am not sure," T'Lor replied. "It appears that we are in some sort of void. I can't get any readings of any stars, planets, or other ships. I cannot find an exit point either."  
  
"So we're stuck here?" James asked quietly.  
  
The entire cabin was silent. They all knew what that meant. The shuttle only had a limited amount of power-it wouldn't run forever. Sooner or later, something would fail: the replicator systems, the artificial gravity, and eventually life support. They would die of either starvation or suffocation once the oxygen ran out. Or perhaps they would die of extreme cold after the heating systems stopped working. Either way, death would be brutal.  
  
"Oh." Najen murmured in a small voice, sinking into a chair. "In the name of the Prophets."  
  
"Do not give up yet," T'Lor said, her voice taking on a commanding tone. "There was a way inside here. And, logically, if there is a way inside, there must be a way out."  
  
"Well, be sure to tell us when you find it," the Romulan growled sarcastically. He got onto a bunk in the back of the cabin and crossed his hands behind his head, trying to keep up a false look of bravado. But Najen could tell that he was afraid.  
  
So could K'Bhena. "Bah!" she said, disgusted. "You have given up already, you cowardly p'tak? Typical Romulan. Once the odds are against you, your people engage your little cloaking devices and sneak away like the targs you are."  
  
K'Bhena stood up, raised her fist, and continued, "Klingons do not give up so easily. If there is a way out of this void, we shall find it. And if there is not, I do not plan to die whimpering like a child. I will not die without a fight."  
  
Levek shot up and glared at K'Bhena. "Typical Klingon. Fighting an enemy that doesn't even exist. For all we know, this is a natural occurrence, caused by no one. You Klingons talk bravely but inside you are veruul."  
  
K'Bhena took a three-bladed knife from her belt. "What did you call me?" She stepped toward the Romulan and held her knife out threateningly.  
  
"You heard me," Levek replied coolly.  
  
"Control yourselves," T'Lor said calmly.  
  
K'Bhena ignored the Vulcan and shot at Levek some sort of Klingon insult, "Your father was a targ [the Klingon version of a dog] so stupid that he chewed off three of his own legs and still had one in the trap."  
  
"Yes, and your mother fights like a Human."  
  
"How dare you!" K'Bhena roared. Then she retorted with what Najen later learned was one of the worst Klingon insults of all time:  
  
"Your mother had a smooth forehead."  
  
Najen personally didn't understand it. Neither, for that matter, did Levek, but he took offense all the same.  
  
Levek lunged at K'Bhena, his fist raised, only to be caught at the shoulder by James. But Levek, having been raised on a planet with twice the gravity of Earth, succeeded in throwing the weaker human out of the way and against a bulkhead.  
  
T'Lor immediately stepped in between the two fighters, looking as aloof and unemotional as ever. "If you do not stop this nonsense I shall have to stun the both of you. Now stop your petty emotional displays and let me attempt to find a way out of here."  
  
The two shot T'Lor looks that could vaporize anyone but a Vulcan and retreated to opposite ends of the room.  
  
T'Lor sat down at her console once again. Her eyes quickly scanned the data screens, and she raised an eyebrow in response.  
  
"Ah," the Vulcan murmured. "It appears that there is another ship here."  
  
Everyone in the shuttle jumped to their feet and rushed to where T'Lor was sitting.  
  
"It is a small craft of an unfamiliar design," T'Lor continued, oblivious to the commotion behind her. "I am reading one life sign.a Human."  
  
"Hail the ship," James ordered, his arrogant demeanor returning now that there was some measure of hope.  
  
"I am hailing now," T'Lor replied, pressing the communications controls. "Unidentified vessel: this is the Federation shuttlecraft Ticonderoga. Please respond."  
  
There was no response. Then T'Lor saw why.  
  
"The ship is clearly damaged," she explained. "It looks as if it has been in a battle recently. Perhaps the communications technology aboard that vessel is damaged as well."  
  
"Beam the Human aboard, then," James replied.  
  
"Are you sure?" T'Lor asked. "That may not be the best course of action."  
  
"Just do it!" James shouted.  
  
Najen mildly watched this exchange from her seat. Levek, the Romulan, thought that the argument was funny and watched it with a grin on his face. K'Bhena was alert and scrutinizing every word the two cadets said. Neither Levek or K'Bhena would hesitate to add their own opinions if necessary.  
  
Not so with Najen. Najen was shy, rarely speaking up if she did not have to. After all, it wasn't as if she ever had any good ideas to add. She wasn't good at thinking under pressure, or so she told herself.  
  
"That is not wise," K'Bhena interrupted. "The pilot may be armed and hostile."  
  
"We'll trust you to protect us then," Levek quipped. "Surely a big, strong Klingon brute like yourself can handle one weakling Human."  
  
"Hey!" James shot back, unable to think of a good comeback, but wearing an "I could take you any day" expression on his face.  
  
K'Bhena was also offended, but she did what she had gotten very practiced at doing since coming aboard-ignoring the Romulan.  
  
Then James grew tired of the arguing and walked toward the nearest console, engaging the transporter himself.  
  
"That is not a logical course of action," T'Lor warned, but James didn't listen. A moment later he had beamed aboard the Human.  
  
Where was he? Akiran wondered, looking around at his strange new surroundings. He could see five people surrounding him. One was Human.and the rest were aliens of species that he had never seen before.  
  
Two of them had pointed ears and strangely slanted eyebrows. One had a bunch of.ridges.on her forehead. And the last one had a ridged nose and wore a large silver earring on her right ear.  
  
Akiran backed up in fear. Clearly they were Rebels.but he had never seen people like them before! Akiran grabbed his blaster and prepared to confront them.  
  
"It shall take a moment longer," T'Lor said calmly. "The Universal Translator needs to finish analyzing his language."  
  
Najen sighed. Universal Translators could be finicky sometimes. Strange, Najen mused. Most Humans (and many aliens) spoke Federation English, but it was clear that this boy didn't.  
  
The Human boy wore a gray flight suit with some sort of insignia on the left shoulder. He looked afraid, but determined.  
  
Then, out of the corner of her eye, Najen saw the unmistakable shape of a weapon, pointed right at her head.  
  
The Universal Translator finally had the grace to work:  
  
"Freeze, you Rebel scum," the boy said, his voice shaking with uncertainty. It was clear that he wasn't very practiced at taking hostages. But, experienced or not, he still had a weapon pointed at Najen's head.  
  
T'Lor calmly took the tiniest step forward. "We are the crew of the Federation shuttlecraft Ticonderoga. We mean you no harm. Please release our crewmate."  
  
The boy didn't seem to understand. "You are Rebel spies-and I am putting you under arrest."  
  
Levek laughed. James glared at him, afraid that the Romulan would push the boy over the edge and sign Najen's death warrant. Levek did not bother to look at James, looking right behind the armed Human instead. James finally got the picture and looked to see what Levek found so interesting.  
  
It was K'Bhena. She stood unseen right behind the Human-with a phaser in her hand.  
  
The last thing the Human must have heard was T'Lor's voice say, almost smugly, "I told you beaming him on board was a bad idea."  
  
A minute later the Human was on the floor.  
  
And a minute after that the Human woke up.  
  
Fortunately he was unarmed and behind a Level-One forcefield by then.  
  
"So," James began, trying to sound like a practiced interrogator. "Are you going to tell us who you are and what you're doing here?"  
  
"I will tell you nothing, Rebels," the boy replied haughtily, trying to keep his hands from shaking.  
  
Levek laughed again. "Oh, you'll tell us everything we need to know," he said, his voice confident and threatening at the same time.  
  
The Romulan stepped forward, his hands clasped behind his back. He was clearly doing a better job at playing the interrogator than James.  
  
"Let's start with something easy," Levek began. "What type of ship do you have out there?"  
  
The Human, obviously afraid, still had the courage to blurt out, "Find out yourself!"  
  
The Romulan was unperturbed. "We intend to do just that." He stepped over to the forcefield, getting so close that he was almost touching it.  
  
"Have you ever heard of a Vulcan mind-meld?" Levek continued, his voice dangerously low. He waved a hand toward T'Lor. "It is a procedure for gaining information from, shall we say.unwilling persons. And we happen to have a Vulcan on board. How lucky for us.and unfortunate for you, it seems."  
  
"Un-unfortunate?" the Human stammered, backing away.  
  
"Certainly," Levek replied calmly. "You see, the procedure can be.quite painful, actually. Especially for Humans."  
  
Levek whirled around and began to walk toward the door. "We'll give you some time to think about it," he said as the door closed behind him.  
  
The other cadets followed him into the cockpit. Almost immediately T'Lor announced:  
  
"Vulcans do not mind-meld with someone unless they have that person's permission. You should not expect me to be any different."  
  
"Yes, but he doesn't know that," Levek replied smoothly.  
  
"Look," James began. "I don't know what they do on Romulan ships, but Starfleet cadets don't torture their prisoners."  
  
Levek was unperturbed by James's comment. "Sometimes," he explained with the tone of a bored professor, "the threat of torture is as effective as torture itself."  
  
Najen shuddered in spite of herself. This Romulan was giving her the creeps.  
  
"We just need to find the proper motivation," Levek continued.  
  
"Oh, I have proper motivation," the Klingon girl grumbled, heading toward the back room to confront the prisoner. The others followed.  
  
"You p'tak," K'Bhena began. "Answer every question I ask you or I shall cut out your heart and put it on display in the Qo'Nos [Klingon homeworld] Museum of Alien Anatomy!"  
  
The Human became very cooperative. 


	3. Chapter 3: Just a Broken Hyperdrive?

CHAPTER 3: JUST A BROKEN HYPERDRIVE  
  
"Where are we?" Cale asked.  
  
The violet-haired girl turned around and shrugged. "I'm not sure. We're probably in some sort of nebula."  
  
"Nebula?" Cale repeated. "Well, this is certainly the weirdest nebula I've ever been in. I mean, first it sucks us in, and now we're in some kinda void. I can't even see any stars! What kind of a nebula is this?"  
  
"I don't know," the girl-what was her name again? Taylor? Talia?- replied.  
  
Koby growled something from the hyperdrive controls.  
  
"What did he say?" the girl asked.  
  
"The hyperdrive's busted," Cale muttered. "Great."  
  
"It could always be worse," the girl said cheerfully. "At least the TIE fighters aren't chasing us anymore."  
  
"That's what I don't like," Cale murmured. "If this so-called nebula isn't dangerous then why didn't the Imps just follow us in here? I don't like this."  
  
"Well, we won't have to stay in this nebula for long," the girl said. "Koby can get our hyperdrive repaired in no time, can't you, Koby?"  
  
Koby growled a "yes", and moved to the back of the ship, where the engine room was located.  
  
"Yeah," Cale added. "Koby's the best technician I know."  
  
"I've heard Wookie mechanics are really good," the girl agreed. Then she looked down at her console and began to press controls. "I'll start running our coordinates on the navicomputer."  
  
"Where can we go?" Cale asked.  
  
"I know a safe place," the girl answered. "My home system, Diocha. It's pretty secluded, and there isn't a single Imperial within ten light- years of the place."  
  
"How did you manage that?"  
  
The girl leaned back to gather her thoughts. "Well, there is a pretty hazardous asteroid field surrounding our entire system. It is very hard to navigate through, so Imperial ships don't try it. Those huge Star Destroyers are too big and clunky to stand a chance. Only smaller ships can make it.  
  
"The asteroid field works out good for us Diochani, though. It keeps the Imperials away. Also.did you know that Diochani pilots are some of the best in the entire galaxy? It's because we learn to fly in the outer edges of the field. Compared to that, any other terrain is easy flying."  
  
"So you're a pilot then?" Cale asked, narrowing his eyes. Everyone knew that Rebel infantrymen were jealous of pilots. The infantry did all the hard work-and those X-wing pilots got all the glory. It wasn't fair.  
  
"Yes," the girl replied honestly. "But I am different from most Diochani pilots. You see, I have a sort of.intuition. It helps me to fly. I." Her voice trailed off as she scrutinized him. Cale felt himself blushing under her stare.  
  
"I'll tell you a secret," the girl said quietly. "Because I think I can trust you. You see, I, uh, I." Her voice trailed off again, and the girl decided to communicate her meaning through actions rather than through words.  
  
She took a strange metal cylinder from where it was hooked on her belt and held it so Cale could see. Then she pressed a button-and a gold beam of light shot out of the cylinder.  
  
"A lightsaber." Cale breathed. He never thought he'd be seeing one up close before. Why, those weapons were legendary. They were also the weapon of. "Jedi," the boy said quietly. "You're a Jedi, aren't you?"  
  
The girl deactivated her weapon. "Yes," she said simply.  
  
"But I thought all the Jedi were.gone," Cale whispered.  
  
"Diocha is isolated, remember?" the girl explained. "My parents hid there when the Empire first came into power, and since no Imperials visit Diocha, they were never found."  
  
"Wow." Cale murmured. "That's amazing. Uh, can you do all those Jedi things? I mean, read minds and lift objects without touching them, and.you know. All that Jedi stuff."  
  
"To a certain extent," the girl replied smoothly.  
  
Cale shook his head in amazement, and then realized that he didn't even know the girl's name.  
  
"Uh, hey, I'm Cale," the boy began. "And you are.?"  
  
"Talelania Eftariocha de-Rovales ia Reom."  
  
"That's a mouthful," Cale replied.  
  
"It's Talela for short," the Jedi girl said, and smiled.  
  
Cale smiled back uncertainly, starting to blush again and desperately trying to stop it.  
  
He was saved by the droid's annoyingly metallic voice,  
  
"Oh dear, this ship is terribly dusty. My circuits will get contaminated for sure."  
  
"And what is your name?" Talela asked politely.  
  
The short silver droid straightened proudly. "I am SU-9 of the Tektaron Laboratories. You may call me Sue."  
  
"It's nice to meet you, Sue," Talela replied. "I'm Talela, and this is Cale. The Wookie is Koby."  
  
"Hi," Cale muttered grudgingly. Droids always annoyed him. Especially this one, with its blinding silver plating and shrill metallic voice.  
  
Then Koby barreled into the cockpit, almost knocking over the silver droid. Koby growled triumphantly.  
  
"What is he saying?" Talela asked.  
  
Cale grinned and jumped up. "Great! You did it, Koby." Then, to Talela, "The hyperdrive's fixed."  
  
"Good," Talela replied happily. "Let's get out of this creepy nebula." She engaged the hyperdrive controls and waited to see stars begin to streak by.  
  
But nothing happened.  
  
"That's strange," Talela said, a frown creasing across her normally cheerful face. "The controls are working perfectly."  
  
Then Cale said the words that were on everyone's mind: "I don't think this is an ordinary nebula....." 


	4. Chapter 4: First Contact

CHAPTER 4: FIRST CONTACT  
  
"So what do we do with him?" Najen asked, moving her head slightly in the direction of the Imperial boy.  
  
"Okay," James began, taking charge as usual. "Let's recap. This guy's from some kind of 'Galactic Empire'. And this Empire's at war with people called the Rebel Alliance. Akiran here was chasing a Rebel ship with his whatchamacallit-fighter-"  
  
"-TIE fighter," T'Lor supplied.  
  
"Yeah," James replied. "So he was chasing them in his TIE fighter and they got sucked in right before he did. So these Rebel guys are probably with us too, we just haven't met them yet."  
  
"Long-range scanners have picked up another vessel," Najen offered helpfully.  
  
"Yeah," James went on, barely acknowledging the Bajoran. "So now we need to go find them. Maybe they'll know what's going on."  
  
"They probably caused it," the Imperial pilot said bluntly. "You can't trust those Rebels."  
  
Akiran had finally believed the cadets when they told him they weren't from any Rebel Alliance. Now he was slightly friendlier toward them- but he continued to stare at K'Bhena and Levek with extreme distrust written all over his face. Najen didn't blame him.  
  
"Trustworthy or otherwise, we need to find them," T'Lor said. "Perhaps these...'Rebels'...know of a possible exit point from this void. I suggest we chart a course toward them immediately."  
  
"Okay, let's do that," James said, still pretending to be the Captain. "What's our ETA?"  
  
"Estimated time of arrival is thirty minutes at full impulse speed," T'Lor calculated, doing the complex mathematics without the aid of the computer. Clearly her large Vulcan brain was enough.  
  
"What about *warp* speed?" James pressed.  
  
"I would not recommend using warp speed at this time. It would needlessly drain our power reserves."  
  
"I suggest you listen to the Vulcan, O Fearless Leader," Levek added mockingly. "Or we'll end up with a repeat of last time."  
  
"That wasn't my fault!" James protested.  
  
"What do you mean 'it wasn't my fault'?" K'Bhena asked. "You're the one that beamed him aboard. Are you trying to deny your responsibility? Only a coward does something like that. Have you any honor, son of Kirk?"  
  
"Of course I have honor," James replied. "And I'm not Kirk's son; I'm his great-great-grandnephew."  
  
"Oh, of course!" K'Bhena said, sarcastic. "Why, you are so closely related to him, why don't we promote you to be our Captain?" She beat her chest once in a mocking Klingon salute. "Qapla, great-great-whatever of Kirk!"  
  
"Strange," the Romulan mused, sounding lost in thought.  
  
"What?" Najen asked.  
  
Levek replied, "Oh, I was just remarking at the irony that James T. Kirk was once a hated enemy of the Romulan Star Empire, and here I am in the same shuttlecraft as one of his descendents." He learned forward and gave James a grin that looked amused and threatening all at the same time. "You know, there are many Romulans that would love to see his head hung high in our Senate Hall. But..." Levek grinned mischievously. "Perhaps they would settle for the head of his great-great-grandnephew."  
  
The Klingon laughed in spite of her hatred of Levek. Najen's lips turned upward at the expression on James's pale face.  
  
James pretended to be his normal cocky self. "Oh, ha ha," he replied, sarcastic. "Very funny."  
  
T'Lor raised one eyebrow in controlled exasperation. "I shall never understand why other species find jokes of this violent nature humorous."  
  
Neither did T'Lor understand why the five others in the cockpit suddenly laughed at her.  
  
"So," James said, breaking up the laughter. "It seems as if we have a bit of a wait. Do any of you know how to play 'I Spy'?"  
  
  
  
"I spy something.black," Cale said, looking out the window into the starless void. "Now guess what it is."  
  
Talela shook her head and laughed. "Does that really need an answer, Cale?" Koby rumbled his laughter as well.  
  
A normal person might wonder why they were playing "I Spy" in the middle of what could possibly be a life or death situation. Well, one reason was that if they started to think about that way, they'd go crazy. Seeing as there was nothing they could do to improve their situation at the moment, Talela had suggested a game as a diversion. And so there they were.  
  
Then Cale looked down. "Hey, there's some kind of ship heading this way! Weird...I've never seen anything like it before."  
  
The small ship suddenly came into view. It was sleek and metallic, like most other spaceships. And yet, its design was...different somehow.  
  
"Their intentions aren't hostile," Talela said.  
  
"How do you know?" Cale asked.  
  
Talela grinned. "It's a Jedi thing."  
  
Koby growled something to Cale. "The ship's trying to contact us?" Cale repeated. Koby nodded and put the transmission on the intercom.  
  
"This is the Federation shuttlecraft Ticonderoga." The intercom emitted a calm female voice that sounded neither relieved nor panicked. "Please respond."  
  
Cale immediately reached for the intercom unit. "Uh, this is the cargo ship Riata Ky Hwi. We read you loud and clear. So.what are you doing all the way out here?"  
  
"Apparently the same thing you are doing," replied another voice, this time a sarcastic male.  
  
"Are you a part of a political group known as the 'Rebel Alliance'?" the first voice asked, cutting the male off.  
  
Cale and Koby looked at each other. They were finished. Clearly this ship was some kind of new Imperial design.  
  
"Maybe we should go out fighting," Cale muttered.  
  
But Talela had other ideas. She spoke into the intercom:  
  
"Yes, we are."  
  
Cale and Koby looked at Talela as if she were crazy. "What did you do?" Cale asked, glaring at her.  
  
"Don't worry," Talela replied smoothly. "They aren't Imperials."  
  
"How would you know?" Cale demanded. "I bet even a Jedi makes mistakes." Koby growled his agreement and fixed Talela with a glare of his own.  
  
"Just trust me," Talela said.  
  
Then the female voice spoke again:  
  
"It would be more efficient to talk in person. Shall I transport you over here?"  
  
"Yes," Talela replied, thinking that she was about to hear directions for docking procedures. Instead, her whole body began to tingle and all she saw was a bluish-gray haze.  
  
  
  
"Transport complete," Najen reported.  
  
Akiran looked over her shoulder. "That technology is amazing," he muttered, his voice full of wonder. "This could really help the Empire win the war. Could you...?"  
  
"No," James replied firmly. " 'We are not allowed to interfere with the normal development of other cultures,' " he quoted from the Starfleet Survival Guide. "In other words: we don't give out technology. It's against the Prime Directive."  
  
Akiran sighed, disappointed. He had just imagined being welcomed back to the Empire with praise and honors for having brought transporter technology to his superiors. He would no longer be a lowly pilot trainee. He would have his own parade, of course, and maybe even meet with the Emperor himself. Akiran felt his daydream dissipate and sighed again. Oh well, it was good for the two seconds it lasted.  
  
Maybe there was a way he still could, Akiran plotted. Maybe he could just take it...he knew where the Starfleeters were hiding his blaster...  
  
Akiran shook his head. No, he was at war with the Rebel Alliance-not with this Starfleet from another galaxy. Besides he didn't want to hold anyone at gunpoint again. The alien girl, Najen, still gave him suspicious sideways looks and turned slightly paler when he was near.  
  
Akiran felt guilty for that. Why couldn't he have taken someone else hostage, like that pointy-eared T'Lor? It wouldn't have affected her as much as it had Najen.  
  
Akiran gave Najen another sideways glance, wondering if it would be appropriate to apologize. Then he realized that without those nose ridges she would be rather good-looking...  
  
NO! Akiran thought suddenly, realizing the treasonous nature of his own thoughts. She was an alien, no matter how close to Human she appeared. And didn't the Emperor say that all aliens were bad, that it was humanity's job to impose order upon the galaxy?  
  
Then Akiran turned around to confront the newly-arrived Rebels. They were the ones he should be paying attention to-not some alien girl.  
  
  
  
"What is this?" the new Human boy demanded.  
  
T'Lor took a good look at the "Rebels". The first was a Human boy, about the height of James. He was wearing dirty, snow-covered clothes and had messy brown hair. Logically, T'Lor assumed that he had been active for some time before their arrival. In a battle, perhaps.  
  
The next was a Human girl wearing strange pale-blue robes. She had violet- colored hair. On her belt was a simple-looking metallic cylinder. The girl's pale green eyes seemed to pierce into T'Lor's mind. It was...unsettling. And yet, however illogical as it seemed, T'Lor felt a sort of...connection with the violet-haired girl. That was unsettling as well.  
  
T'Lor took a deep breath and concentrated. Her worry went away, replaced by curiosity. That was an emotion that was tolerable, but she would keep it under control.  
  
The third and last person was of a species T'Lor had never before seen. He was humanoid, and yet his entire skin was covered with bushy brown fur. T'Lor scanned him with a tricorder, but his species wasn't even on record!  
  
"That's a Wookie," Akiran explained, stepping back. "You'll want to lock him up immediately."  
  
The Wookie roared at that suggestion.  
  
"Be calm," T'Lor said, trying to pacify the Wookie. "No one will lock you up."  
  
"But you locked ME up!" Akiran interrupted, outraged. "That's because you ATTACKED us," James explained. "The...uh, Wokky hasn't."  
  
"It's Wookie," the disheveled boy "Rebel" corrected, stepping forward. "And who are you?"  
  
"We are Starfleet cadets and representatives of the United Federation of Planets," T'Lor said smoothly.  
  
The boy frowned. "I've heard of the IMPERIAL Starfleet. But you don't wear their uniforms. And I've never heard of any 'United Federation of Planets'."  
  
Akiran stepped forward to explain. "These people are not from our galaxy. They know nothing of the Empire, or the war, or anything about our galaxy."  
  
"Wait a sec," the ragged-looking Human said, scrutinizing Akiran, or rather, his uniform. "You're an Imperial!"  
  
"Yes," Akiran replied tersely. "And you're a Rebel."  
  
"Oh, I can see we're all going to be one big, happy group of lost cadets," Levek muttered. "Better bring out the phasers."  
  
James glared at Levek. "You're not helping," he hissed.  
  
Then the violet-haired girl stepped forward with a suggestion. "I think a few explanations are in order..." 


	5. Chapter 5: Explanations

CHAPTER 5: EXPLANATIONS  
  
"My name is James," the Human Starfleeter said. "The other Starfleeters here are T'Lor and Najen. T'Lor is a Vulcan, and Najen's Bajoran."  
  
"And he would be a Vulcan too?" Cale asked, noticing the similarities between T'Lor and Levek's appearances.  
  
"No, I am not Vulcan," Levek said firmly. "I am a Romulan."  
  
Cale looked from T'Lor to Levek, and shook his head in confusion. "I'm sorry, but I don't see any difference."  
  
"There IS a difference," T'Lor said bluntly. "He is a Romulan, and I am Vulcan."  
  
"We'll explain in a minute," James cut in. Then he went on with his explanation. "The three of us are in Starfleet," he said, pointing to T'Lor, Najen, and himself.  
  
"We are from a government that calls itself the United Federation of Planets," T'Lor clarified. "The Federation is dedicated to exploring the galaxy and spreading peace."  
  
There was a snort from Levek at that statement. "Bah!" K'Bhena muttered. "Of what use is peace? The Klingon Empire was forged through honorable warfare. We have no need for peace."  
  
"Nor does Romulus," Levek agreed. "I shall never understand why you Starfleeters promote it so much."  
  
"The Klingon Empire should never be without an enemy to fight," K'Bhena added. Then, to the Rebels and Akiran: "But our enemy has often been the Federation."  
  
"As has ours," Levek interjected, giving one of his amused/mischievous grins.  
  
"Then I have a solution," James muttered. "If you Klingons and Romulans like war so much...then why don't you fight EACH OTHER and leave the Federation out of it?"  
  
K'Bhena and Levek shared a look.  
  
"But where would the fun be in that?" Levek joked. Then he shook his head, almost patronizingly. "Humans."  
  
James resumed his explanation. "The other two members of our so-called 'team' are K'Bhena and Levek. K'Bhena is a Klingon. As you've probably already guessed, her species is really fond of wars, battles, and anything that involves blood and guts."  
  
K'Bhena glared at him. "We are not fond of the needless spilling of 'blood and guts', as you put it. We Klingons prize our honor above all else, even our own lives--which is more than I can say for some Humans."  
  
"Are you calling me a wimp?" James asked, offended.  
  
"If that term means what I think it does--then yes."  
  
Levek laughed. "You had better back down now, Human."  
  
Then K'Bhena whirled on Levek. "And why don't you stay out of this, Romulan." It was not a suggestion.  
  
"My pleasure," Levek muttered, bowing mockingly. Then he straightened and spoke to the new arrivals.  
  
"I am Levek, a loyal son of the Romulan Star Empire. And no, I am not Vulcan...but my people once were.  
  
"A few millennia ago, Vulcans were much like any other race in the galaxy. They had wars, intrigue, and what's more: they had ACTUAL EMOTIONS. Then some Vulcans got the senseless idea to start purging themselves of any emotion whatsoever. And that means the good as well as the bad; they treat happiness, love, and humor the same way they treat anger and sadness. Soon the majority of the planet was thinking this way, and when some Vulcans decided to KEEP their emotions...well, they were exiled.  
  
"A group of these exiles decided to leave the homeworld and start a new life on another planet. These exiles were my ancestors. They settled on the twin planets Romulus and Remus, and founded the Romulan Star Empire."  
  
"And a sad day THAT was," James muttered quietly.  
  
"Oh, and another thing about Romulans," Levek added, turning to fix James with a hard look. "These pointed ears give us VERY GOOD HEARING."  
  
Everyone, including the new arrivals, laughed good-naturedly (except for T'Lor, of course). Even James joined in.  
  
Then T'Lor broke up the laughter (like always), saying, "I feel compelled to straighten out some of the misconceptions Levek has about Vulcan culture."  
  
"You FEEL compelled?" Levek asked, raising one eyebrow. "I thought Vulcans didn't FEEL anything."  
  
T'Lor made a noise that sounded suspiciously like an exasperated sigh. "You know what I mean, Cadet Levek. Back to my original point: the turn Vulcan philosophy took was toward the positive. Before the teacher Surak introduced his ideas to the Vulcan people, the Vulcans were a savage and ruthless race. Surak then taught the people that there was a more...logical way to act.  
  
"We Vulcans still have emotions, of course," T'Lor went on. "We merely control them so that they will not influence our actions."  
  
"Which is unnatural, if you ask me," Levek interrupted.  
  
"No," one of the new arrivals, the girl Talela, said. "It makes sense. The Jedi did that to some extent as well. 'There is no emotion; there is peace...there is no death; there is the Force.'" she quoted. "That was part of an ancient Jedi code."  
  
"What's a Jedi?" James asked.  
  
"The Jedi were once the defenders and protectors of the Old Republic," Talela explained. "That's the government we had before the Empire."  
  
"So the Jedi were like police?" James asked, sounding disappointed. Those Rebels had spoken of Jedi with such awe that he thought they'd be something...more.  
  
"Not really," Talela replied. "They had many of the duties of a police officer--but they were a lot more than that."  
  
Cale cut in: "Maybe you should tell them about Jedi powers."  
  
Talela shushed him with a look. "I was just getting to that."  
  
"What powers?" Levek asked, suddenly becoming interested.  
  
Talela went on with her explanation:  
  
"Jedi can do things that ordinary people cannot. For example, they can move objects with their minds or sense another person's emotions."  
  
"Like a telepath?" Najen asked.  
  
"Sort of," Talela replied. "But Jedi can do things that even telepaths can't do."  
  
"T'Lor's a telepath," James offered helpfully. "All Vulcans are."  
  
Talela turned her gaze onto T'Lor. "Truly?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, Vulcans are telepaths," T'Lor replied. "Our telepathy comes from our mental discipline."  
  
"Or so you say," Levek cut in. "But I think your people just want to keep the secret of telepathy all to yourselves. Which would explain why Romulans are NOT telepathic."  
  
T'Lor sighed. "A Vulcan cannot lie, Levek. You may choose whether or not to believe me-I WOULD NOT CARE."  
  
"Oh, does the Vulcan sound a bit grouchy today?" Levek teased, noting the exasperation in T'Lor's tone. "So much for mental discipline."  
  
It was true. T'Lor had gotten careless and let some of her annoyance creep into her tone of voice. Now everyone in the cabin was staring at her as if she had just sprouted wings.  
  
Levek wasn't sure how to react. He had just succeeded in annoying T'Lor to the point where her emotion would show on her face--something he had been trying to do ever since the shuttle left Deep Space 6. He should have been satisfied. But...  
  
Levek drew the attention away from T'Lor with another of his tirades. "You all have no idea how many experiments have gone into reconstructing Vulcan telepathy. We Romulans are rather curious about it, actually. If the Vulcans are telepaths, then why can't Romulans be? After all, our physiology is mostly identical. Can you imagine what it will be like when we finally unlock the secret?"  
  
"I sure can," James muttered. "Reigns of terror committed by emperors who can stop all resistance through armies of some kind of telepathic KGB or Gestapo--you call your intelligence force the Tal Shiar, right?- -...Romulan spies who are telepaths...People betraying each other at the slightest whim...Just chaos in general. Face it, Levek: the Vulcans can handle telepathy--and you Romulans can't. And that's the way I'd rather keep it."  
  
Levek sighed and gave a melancholy grin. "I believe that you have said your first statement with any intelligent content, Human. I'm impressed. Perhaps your species may one day learn."  
  
James glared at Levek with a lopsided smile on his face--not sure whether to take Levek's words as a compliment or an insult.  
  
"As amusing as that was," Najen interrupted. "I believe Talela was talking about Jedi Knights."  
  
Everyone stared at the shy little mouse that had just grown wings (or rather, a voice).  
  
"Lo, she speaks," Levek said, grinning at Najen.  
  
Najen shifted her eyes toward the console in front of her, embarrassed.  
  
K'Bhena covered for her. "Shut up, Romulan p'tak," K'Bhena ordered. "Najen is right-let's get back to the subject. These Jedi sound like great warriors...and worthy allies. I want to hear more about them."  
  
"Okay," Talela said. "Well...let's see, a Jedi gets their power from the Force. The Force is a sort of...energy...that is in all living things. Some individuals can use the energy of the Force to do things that others can't-- like lift objects without touching them, and so on."  
  
"Could you demonstrate?" James asked, extremely curious.  
  
"Of course," Talela said. She took the metal cylinder from her belt and held it flat in the palm of her hand. Then, suddenly, it began to rise into the air--without anything touching it.  
  
"Amazing..." James breathed.  
  
T'Lor, seeking some logical proof for this phenomenon, gently ran her hand through the air underneath the floating cylinder. Then she examined the cylinder itself, to see if there was some sort of magnet or repulser-lift technology hidden on it.  
  
"This is not logical," T'Lor muttered. "Not logical at all."  
  
"It is perfectly logical," Talela said, in that annoyingly cheerful way of hers. "Here--scan me with some of your medical technology."  
  
James handed T'Lor a tricorder, with which she immediately scanned the Jedi girl. "I am reading abnormal activity somewhere within the brain," T'Lor reported. "I have never seen this sort of situation before."  
  
"You see," Talela said, with the satisfied tone of a teacher who has finally succeeded in teaching a reluctant student a childishly simple concept. "There IS a scientific explanation. I simply have a...part of the brain that most others do not have. May I see that--what do you call it-- ah, tricorder?"  
  
T'Lor wordlessly handed the instrument to the girl. Then T'Lor turned to the other cadets of her galaxy. "Do any of you have medical or neurological training?" All of them shook their heads.  
  
"We don't need to study her, T'Lor," James muttered, giving Talela an apologetic shrug. Everyone was quiet for an awkward ten seconds.  
  
Akiran broke the silence. "Our Emperor is a Jedi. So is his right- hand man, Darth Vader."  
  
Talela was appalled. "Of course not!" she cried, showing the first anger that T'Lor had seen from her. "They may have some Jedi powers--but they are not TRUE Jedi. A real Jedi does not hurt others for fun, or take away the people's freedom. Your Emperor is nothing more than a cruel slave- master!"  
  
Akiran jumped up. "What did you call him?! The Emperor is a GREAT man!"  
  
"A great monster, you mean," Cale retorted. "And we in the Rebel Alliance will not rest until he's DEAD!"  
  
Akiran threw the first punch. Cale threw the second.  
  
  
  
"Humans can fight better than I thought," K'Bhena observed.  
  
"Yes, surprisingly," Levek agreed. "Hmmm. Do Klingons gamble?"  
  
"Of course," K'Bhena replied. "What civilized race doesn't?"  
  
"I bet on the Imperial," Levek said. "He was obviously trained in some sort of military--and the Rebel looks rather untrained to me."  
  
"But the Rebel has a strong punch," K'Bhena argued. "I bet on him."  
  
"This is all very nice," Najen interrupted. "But we need to break this up. QUIET EVERYBODY--STOP FIGHTING!"  
  
But Najen's voice was too soft. She searched for a way to make the two fighters paid attention. Then her eyes lit up as she saw her salvation.  
  
  
  
"Stop this fighting!" T'Lor cried, having no more success than Najen. "This is the height of illogic!"  
  
Then T'Lor felt herself...FLOATING. She glanced towards the Jedi girl, wondering if Talela was strong enough to lift a person, but she was just as perplexed as T'Lor was.  
  
Then T'Lor realized that the artificial gravity had been turned off.  
  
"Are you going to listen now?" Najen asked, sitting strapped into a seat while everyone else chaotically floated around the room. Najen had clearly prepared for the loss of gravity; therefore, T'Lor concluded, she was the cause of it. It was only logical.  
  
The two fighters were spinning out of control.  
  
"Ahhhhh!" Akiran cried, until Najen grabbed him by the boot and turned him upright. The Wookie-Kobawcca-caught Cale.  
  
Najen turned the gravity back on, making sure to make the transition slow so that the others would not crash into the ground and break something. Then, once the gravity was back on, she stood up and spoke.  
  
"Listen to me: this entire time you all have been fighting when we SHOULD have been looking for a way out of this void. T'Lor is right--this is the height of illogic! For all we know, we could have been out of here by now--but instead you decided to put on an amateur performance of Galactic Wrestling. THAT IS STUPID! I don't care how much you Rebels and Imperials hate each other. I don't care about the Romulan Empire's past wars, or the Klingons' love of battle. And you shouldn't either--because we have GOT to work together!  
  
"And we ARE going to make it out of here. You know why? Because we've got resources from two different galaxies. We've got the abilities of a Jedi, the intelligence of a Vulcan, the persistence of a Klingon, the cleverness of a Romulan, the technical expertise of a Wookie, the courage of a Rebel infantryman--and an equally courageous TIE fighter pilot, and of course, the dumb jokes of a certain Human to keep us entertained. This void doesn't know what it has coming!  
  
"We'll make it out of here, but we've got to work together. Now, to business: we need ideas. Who's got them?"  
  
T'Lor stood up. "It was clearly a wormhole of some kind that brought us in here. However, this wormhole has many of the attributes of a black hole."  
  
"IS there a way out of a black hole?" James asked.  
  
T'Lor tilted her head to the side, deep in thought. "There is a theory," she began. "No one has ever seen the inside of a black hole before, but there is a theory that states that at the other side of a black hole there is a WHITE HOLE. A white hole would repel matter, just like a black hole attracts it."  
  
"So we find this white hole-if there is one-and then we've got our exit point?" James asked.  
  
"In theory, yes," T'Lor replied. "But it would require a large amount of energy to force us INTO the white hole--and then another large amount of energy to force us OUT of the gravity well of the black hole on the other side. The magnitude of energy we would need is...impossible."  
  
"Only improbable, not impossible. Did someone say 'Force'?" Talela asked. "I believe I could be of some assistance there."  
  
"Has a Jedi ever tried something of this magnitude?" T'Lor asked.  
  
"I don't know," Talela replied. "I guess we won't find out until we try."  
  
"But you can't push an entire ship through a white hole!" Cale cried.  
  
"Why not?" Talela asked. "Size does not matter. I have seen my mother lift an entire speeder."  
  
"But you're talking about arm-wrestling with the laws of physics!"  
  
"Many laws have loopholes," Talela replied smoothly. "We just need to find one."  
  
"This is insane," Akiran said. Then he smiled, uncertain but determined. "But if you have a plan...I'll help."  
  
"We don't even know if there ARE white holes," Cale reminded them.  
  
"Either way," Najen replied. "There was a way in-and so there must be a way out. We only need to find it."  
  
K'Bhena grinned in excitement. "Many warriors get the chance to fight cunning foes. But the laws of physics? This shall be a GLORIOUS battle! Qapla!"  
  
  
  
  
  
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: If any of you out there are science experts, I fervently apologize for my hastily made-up physics. I have heard of the theory about black holes and white holes, though I suppose I didn't do the best job articulating it. Oh well, please keep reading--there won't be any more fake science, I promise! 


	6. Chapter 6: Opposition

Disclaimer: I'm bored of the average disclaimer, so I think I'll let the characters speak for themselves.  
  
Cale: Starphoenix23 doesn't own my universe, or the people in it.  
  
James: Same goes for us.  
  
T'Lor: Therefore, it would be illogical to sue her.  
  
Talela: You will NOT sue Starphoenix *waves hand*  
  
K'Bhena: If you do, you shall die! *gets out her d'k'tahg knife and waves it threateningly*  
  
Najen: Ooookay...Let's just get on with the story...  
  
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 6: OPPOSITION  
  
They worked for three hours straight. T'Lor found weird readings from a certain site, so they went to check it out, towing the Riata Ky Hwi along behind them. Now they were just waiting for the ship to get there.  
  
On the way, they split into several groups. Najen marveled at the strangeness of the scene in front of her. It was like a mural with lots of action going on in different parts of the painting. If Najen were an artist, she would have sketched it.  
  
James was in a corner with Talela, eagerly asking her questions about Jedi Knights. However, Najen believed that he was more interested in the elegant Talela than in anything else. James began to slip his arm over her shoulder--and from across the shuttle Cale's hands curled into fists.  
  
When Cale wasn't glaring at James, he was shooting sour looks to the other end of the shuttle, where Akiran was sitting by himself, staring out into space. Koby the Wookie sat next to Cale, probably commiserating with him about the flirtatious great-great-grandnephew of Kirk or the weird Imperial sitting at the bow.  
  
Next to the Imperial sat T'Lor. T'Lor was not talking with him, however. Instead, she sat hunched over her console, serenely studying scanner readings.  
  
In the chair behind T'Lor sat Levek. He was examining the Federation console-no doubt carefully remembering his new experiences with Federation technology to tell his Romulan superiors about later.  
  
Next to Levek stood K'Bhena. She too was studying Starfleet technology-only her area of interest was weapons systems. While they worked, Levek and K'Bhena talked--er, argued--about whose technology was better: Romulan or Klingon.  
  
Najen sat down next to Koby. For a member of a species that was clearly very strong, Koby seemed shy around the others. Or perhaps he didn't talk to the others because his mouth couldn't form the words of their languages.  
  
"Can Koby understand me?" Najen asked Cale. Cale nodded.  
  
Najen turned to Koby. "Would you mind talking for a bit in your native language?" Koby growled a bit.  
  
"He wouldn't mind," Cale translated. "But he wants to know why he'd be doing this."  
  
"I just want the Universal Translator to analyze it a bit," Najen explained. "Can we start now?" she asked. Koby nodded.  
  
"Okay," Najen said thoughtfully, pressing some buttons on her console. "What's the Wookie word for 'hello'?"  
  
Koby made a noise that sounded like "krrooiiwwlll".  
  
"Kuh-row-il," Najen pronounced. Then she laughed. "I bet my accent's terrible. Can you say some more? Anything'll do."  
  
Koby continued talking. Najen glanced down at her readouts. The Universal Translator was 62% done with its analysis.  
  
"Come on," Najen urged. Then, to Koby: "More, please."  
  
Finally, the Universal Translator was done. Programming it some more, Najen spoke, "Okay, Koby, one last time. Say anything you want."  
  
Koby growled for a moment. Then the computer translated it:  
  
"Okay, even though I don't understand exactly what you're doing," Koby said. Then: "Hey, I'm speaking Basic! Is that what you programmed your computer to do, Najen?"  
  
"Yes," Najen replied, pleased with herself. "Now it'll be easier for us to understand you."  
  
Koby bared his teeth in a Wookie grin. "Thanks, Najen."  
  
Then another voice came through from the Rebel ship.  
  
"Excuuuse me!" a thin and metallic voice cried. "How long were you going to leave me alone here?"  
  
"Who's that?" Najen asked. "I'm not reading any life-signs on the Riata."  
  
"Oh, that," Cale grumbled. "That's just our droid. Better beam it over."  
  
"Droid?" Najen asked, beginning the transport. "As in 'android'?"  
  
"Yeah," Cale said, frowning as the silvery robot materialized a foot away. "This is an especially annoying droid that's obsessed with cleanliness-as if it could get sick-and afraid of the dark."  
  
"The android is afraid of the dark?" Najen asked, confused.  
  
"Yeah," Cale replied. "Don't ask me why-it just is. Najen meet SU-9. SU-9 meet Najen."  
  
"My name is not SU-9," the droid replied. "I am LE-416 of the Corellian Technology Center. You may call me 'Ellie'. Where am I?"  
  
Cale ignored the droid's question and asked Talela (who had moved away from the annoying James and was now talking with T'Lor), "Didn't this droid say its name was SU-9?"  
  
"Yes," Talela replied. "Is there a problem?"  
  
"Well, now this droid says its name's LE-416."  
  
Talela frowned. "That's odd. I have a very good memory, and I know that the droid said its name is SU-9."  
  
"Well, I know we didn't pick up two druids," Cale muttered. "Hey Koby, can you examine the droid for a moment. Maybe it's malfunctioning."  
  
"I am NOT malfunctioning!" the droid cried. "Ohhhh, this is just like what they did at the Tektaron Laboratory! Everyone was dissecting me, and probing my artificial intelligence chips--it was terrible. They said I was malfunctioning! Why, they were going to shut me down and turn me into scrap for sure! But I escaped from them."  
  
"You escaped?" Cale asked, confused.  
  
"Yes, I had to," the droid replied. "They said I was malfunctioning!"  
  
"WHY did they say you were malfunctioning?" asked Najen.  
  
"So-called 'normal' droids are supposedly not afraid of the dark. Nor are they as concerned with hygiene as I. Well, that's their problem--it's not my fault if they get contaminated."  
  
"Contaminated?" Najen asked.  
  
"Yes," SU-9/LE-416 replied. "Do you know how much dust is floating around? What if it collects in my joints and...rusts them? Why, dust alone could DESTROY my body! I HATE DUST!"  
  
"What is that noise?" Levek asked. "That robot has to be the most annoying thing I've ever heard in my life! It's even worse than my math teacher's lectures on irrational numbers."  
  
"This android's beginning to creep me out," James muttered.  
  
"Ohhhh!" the droid cried. "You're just like all the others! No one ever keeps me for longer than a month! My old owner left me marooned on Hoth, to die a slow death of dust contamination!"  
  
"I wonder why," Levek muttered sarcastically.  
  
There was a blinding flash of light from the direction of the droid. Before anyone could react, Levek jumped up and grabbed his arm in pain. "Ahhh! In the name of Rehu!"  
  
"I'm sorry," the droid said mockingly. "I didn't mean to shock you like that..." Then the droid trailed off and broke out into shrill, creepy, mechanical laughter.  
  
"The droid's psycho!" James cried. Then SU-9/LE-416 zapped him in the leg and laughed some more.  
  
"Turn it off!" Cale ordered, before the droid shot him in the chest. Cale's body sagged like a marionette with cut strings and crumbled to the floor, unconscious.  
  
Screams echoed throughout the shuttle. Then the droid's laughter was abruptly cut of.  
  
K'Bhena had stuck a knife in the back of SU-9. The droid fell forward with a resounding CLANG, its circuits too damaged to work.  
  
"Ooookay," James muttered, picking himself off the floor. "That was certainly creepy."  
  
"I agree with you there," Levek echoed, helping the Human up.  
  
T'Lor revived Cale with a stimulant. He was fine.  
  
And then the attack came.  
  
  
  
  
  
"There is a ship off our starboard side," T'Lor reported calmly. The shuttle began to shake. "And it is firing at us."  
  
"That's an Imperial ship!" Cale cried, noticing the design.  
  
James hailed the Imperials. "This is the Federation shuttlecraft Ticonderoga. We mean you no harm. If you keep attacking us, we shall have to retaliate."  
  
"They're not going to listen to you," Cale warned. He was right. The Imperial ship didn't even reply.  
  
K'Bhena took a seat at the weapons console and prepared to fire. "I've got a weapons lock," she said, grinning at the excitement of battle.  
  
"Watch out!" Talela cried, feeling a tremor in the Force.  
  
"NO!" Akiran cried, rushing forward and tackling K'Bhena before she could fire on his people.  
  
"Arrgh!" the Klingon shouted angrily, shoving the Imperial into a bulkhead and turning back to the weapons console. "I shall deal with you later!"  
  
Akiran tried to rise, but was held in place by Koby. "Rebel scum!" the Imperial howled. Then, in a vain attempt to incapacitate the Starfleet shuttle, he started pressing as many buttons as he could, hoping that he was messing with vital systems. Koby stopped him before he could do any damage.  
  
T'Lor piloted the ship in a blinding rush of evasive maneuvers, her fingers flying over the computer console. But it was too late.  
  
The Ticonderoga rocked violently as a blast from the Imperial ship slammed into it.  
  
"They have disabled our weapons systems," T'lor reported. "We must go to warp before it's too late."  
  
"No!" K'Bhena cried. "A Klingon NEVER retreats!"  
  
"Either we retreat or we die!" Najen retorted. "And I vote retreat!"  
  
"An enemy that runs away lives to fight another day." James muttered.  
  
T'Lor went to warp just in time. Everyone in the shuttle breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
Levek glanced at the still-struggling Imperial. "I think we need to lock him up again."  
  
"I second that," Cale agreed.  
  
"So what do we do now?" James asked. "You know those Imperials will find us eventually."  
  
"There's only one thing we can do," Najen said. "We have to prepare for when they do."  
  
T'Lor, like always, had to be the practical one who burst everyone's feelings of security.  
  
"A shuttle of this class does not have adequate weapons to carry on an attack of any magnitude," T'Lor pointed out.  
  
"Then we can modify them," Levek said. "I have some ideas."  
  
"So do I," K'Bhena added, still sulking about the retreat.  
  
"Well, then." Najen began, trying to sound calm and focused. "Let's get to work."  
  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Najen: Well, now that you've read the story, it would be nice to review.  
  
K'Bhena: Review or DIE! *gets out bat'leth*  
  
James: What kind of a way to get people to review is THAT?  
  
K'Bhena: An effective way.  
  
James: Sure...*Inches away from Klingon*  
  
Levek: How about: Review, or we'll sic the droid on you!  
  
T'Lor: I must protest. That is a cruel and illogical threat. In addition, the author was stressing out about schoolwork when she wrote the part about SU-9. It would be inhumane to subject the audience to it...  
  
Levek: *shakes head* Vulcans...  
  
Cale: What my counterparts from another galaxy are TRYING to say is: review. Please.  
  
Talela: Oh, and a vision from the Force tells me that Starphoenix will put her next chapter up this weekend. A Jedi must have patience...May the Force be with you until then! 


	7. Chapter 7: Battle Ready

Disclaimer:  
  
Koby: *roars* [Translation, courtesy of Najen's Universal Translator: "Star Wars and Star Trek don't belong to Starphoenix."] *additional roars* [Translation: Oh, and for all of you who were confused about the droid, SU- 9's...er, condition will be explained.]  
  
Talela: The chapter is a bit long, but there is plenty of action. Also, there is a revelation that may surprise some. May the Force be with you all!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
CHAPTER 7: BATTLE READY  
  
"Aha!" the Romulan said from under the console. "I found the thermonycene pulse controller. Pass me a phase adjuster."  
  
"A what?" James asked.  
  
"Humans," Levek muttered. "Don't they teach you anything at Starfleet Academy?"  
  
"Of course they do," James retorted.  
  
"Just not as much as they teach us at the Romulan Naval Academy, apparently." Levek replied smugly. James was about to retort when the Imperial started shouting from the back of the room.  
  
"You won't succeed against an Imperial warship!" Akiran cried, from behind a forcefield in the ship's makeshift "jail". "You will FAIL! You should surrender! They will let you live."  
  
"For the two hours they torture us, maybe," Cale muttered sarcastically. "Is there some way to shut him up?"  
  
"I could tranquilize him," James offered. "He'll be asleep for about an hour."  
  
"That'd work," Cale replied.  
  
"I have a better idea," K'Bhena offered, unsheathing her three-bladed knife and pivoting to face the prisoner. "Be quiet now or I shall--"  
  
"There is no need for threats," T'Lor interrupted.  
  
Levek laughed from under the console. "You Vulcans are no fun."  
  
"Why don't we leave it to you then, Levek," James suggested. "I'll bet you Romulans are the masters of death threats." He glanced sideways at K'Bhena and her knife. "Second only to the Klingons, of course," he added hastily.  
  
K'Bhena laughed. "I am beginning to like you, Human. You learn quickly."  
  
"James," Levek called. "What will happen if I reroute power through the LTR relay conduits?"  
  
"You'll get electrocuted," James replied seriously.  
  
"Ah," the Romulan muttered. "Such strange systems you Starfleeters have."  
  
"All the better to confuse Romulan intruders with." James replied smoothly, a smug grin filling his face.  
  
"Is there any way we can use the Riata?" Cale asked suddenly. "Two ships are better than one."  
  
"Not necessarily," T'Lor replied, without bothering to look up from her console. "Does your ship have any weapons?"  
  
"No," Talela replied.  
  
"NO WEAPONS?!" K'Bhena exclaimed. "Who would design a ship with no weapons?"  
  
Cale ignored K'Bhena. "Is there any way we can help?" he pressed.  
  
"You can't do anything, Rebels!" Akiran called from the back of the ship. "Your ship will only be useful as cannon fodder!"  
  
"Cannon fodder." Talela muttered thoughtfully. "That's it."  
  
"What's it?" Najen asked.  
  
"Cannon fodder," Talela replied, making absolutely no sense.  
  
"Huh?" Cale said.  
  
"Well not exactly," Talela corrected herself. "But we could use the Riata."  
  
"As what?" Cale asked.  
  
"As a weapon. Kind of like a giant missile. We can pack the Riata full of explosives and fly it into the Imperial ship."  
  
"That's a suicide mission!" exclaimed James.  
  
"Incorrect," T'Lor interjected. "You have forgotten our transporter technology," she explained. "One person can fly the ship, and right before it rams the Imperials, the rest of us can beam the Riata's pilot back on board. This operation would have to be timed to the millisecond, but I believe it is feasible."  
  
"How much damage would that cause?" James asked.  
  
"A lot." Cale answered.  
  
Najen grinned. They were finally getting somewhere. She turned toward Levek and James. "How are the weapons upgrades coming?"  
  
"Better than expected," Levek replied, still working under the console. "Just wait a few minutes and I will be ready to work on the phaser beam controls."  
  
T'Lor gave the tiniest of frowns and motioned for James and Najen to join her near the back of the ship.  
  
"How does Cadet Levek know so much about weaponry?" she asked, glancing around to see if any non-Starfleeters would be able to hear her. The only person nearby was Akiran-and he was too busy taunting the repair teams. T'Lor would just have to take a chance.  
  
"He's a weapons specialist," James replied. "He told me so himself."  
  
"How does he know how to operate Starfleet technology?" T'Lor asked bluntly. "Did you teach him, James?"  
  
"No," James protested. "He just.I don't know.taught himself, I guess."  
  
"How could he teach himself?" T'Lor asked. "Federation and Romulan technology are very different. One cannot simply learn about one and then be proficient in working the other."  
  
"What are you saying?" James asked.  
  
"I am saying that Levek would have to take a very extensive course to be able to operate our technology with the level of expertise that he is demonstrating."  
  
"Oh," Najen breathed, knowing exactly what that meant but still wanting T'Lor to say it. "And WHO would wish to take this kind of course?"  
  
T'Lor's answer was simple, yet terrible: "An intelligence operative."  
  
"Tal Shiar?" James whispered.  
  
"That would be the most likely answer," T'Lor replied, confirming their dreads.  
  
It was a terrible prospect: Levek, a member of the Tal Shiar, the feared Romulan intelligence force that had caused the Federation trouble ever since it was founded. The intelligence agency that had shown no qualms concerning lies--or outright murder. The same bureau that could be compared to the historical KGB or Gestapo--only this one was not Human, but working against humanity, and the entire Federation.  
  
"However, it is only a supposition," T'Lor reminded them. "Do not mistake it for undeniable truth."  
  
"It's the truth all right," James muttered. "I knew there was something weird about him."  
  
"We can't bring it up now," Najen urged. "Like it or not: we need Levek. He's the one with the most weapons knowledge-and we can't afford to waste it."  
  
"Great," James muttered sarcastically. "We might as well send the Tal Shiar a memo of the Federation's latest weapons systems."  
  
"We must not repeat our suspicions to anyone," T'Lor pointed out. "James, you go back and monitor Levek's work. Watch him very closely, cadet."  
  
"Oh, I will," James replied. "You don't need to remind me to do that." He turned around and strode toward the bow, where Levek was still working.  
  
"I'll go and help Cale replicate the explosives for the Riata," Najen offered.  
  
"Then I shall continue scanning," T'Lor said.  
  
T'Lor turned to the aft console next to her, but was interrupted by Talela.  
  
"May I speak with you?" she asked politely.  
  
"Yes," T'Lor replied. "But make it quick. I am working."  
  
"Everyone needs a break sometime," Talela countered. "Even Vulcans."  
  
T'Lor was prepared to argue with that assumption-then decided that it would be more efficient to simply let the Jedi say what she needed to say and leave.  
  
"Are there any Jedi on your homeworld, T'Lor?"  
  
"No," T'Lor replied simply, thinking of the stupidity of Talela's interrupting important work to engage in-what did the Humans call it?- "small talk".  
  
"There should be," Talela said cryptically.  
  
T'Lor turned to fix the Human with a penetrating stare. "What do you mean?" she asked. "How could there be Vulcan Jedi Knights? I know of no one from my galaxy that has your abilities."  
  
"I think you know someone," Talela replied smoothly.  
  
"Do not joke with me," T'Lor ordered. "It is an illogical waste of time."  
  
"I'll get right to the point then," Talela said, suddenly businesslike. "I know you will find this odd, but I feel a connection with you."  
  
"A connection?" T'Lor asked, trying to keep the skepticism (it was an emotion, after all) out of her voice.  
  
"Yes," Talela replied. "And you felt it too. I know you did, so don't lie to me."  
  
"Vulcans do not lie," T'Lor replied. Except in very unusual circumstances, she added to herself.  
  
Talela smiled indulgingly. "That is beside the point. The Force allows me to occasionally sense the emotions, or even the thoughts, of others. I try not to do this unless it is absolutely necessary, for I doubt people would appreciate a Jedi snooping in their mind. But, nevertheless, I have sensed from you an...openness to the Force."  
  
T'Lor's doubt was so great that it began to show on her normally composed face. "If I am a Jedi," she began, attempting to dissuade Talela through reason and logic, "then why have I never demonstrated any telekinetic abilities that resemble your own? If I am a Jedi, then I should not be able to move objects with my mind?"  
  
"No," Talela protested, waving her arms in frustration. "You are simply untrained. It is possible that, after proper training, you would be able to perform similar feats."  
  
"I have no wish to hear more of this," T'Lor said brusquely, turning her back to the Jedi. "I must work."  
  
"T'Lor, with all respect, you are reacting very...shall I say, emotionally."  
  
T'Lor whirled around and raised an eyebrow in feigned disbelief. But, having analyzed her own thoughts clearly and meticulously, T'Lor knew that Talela was right.  
  
"If there is a chance that you are a Jedi, are you not supposed to logically consider the idea until you have found an explanation?" Talela argued, sounding much like one of T'Lor's old Vulcan philosophy teachers.  
  
T'Lor had to concede that Talela's case was logical.  
  
"I am willing to explore the possibility. But I still believe that it is an illogical one."  
  
"Let's start right now then," Talela said cheerfully, ignoring T'Lor's second statement.  
  
"I need to work," T'Lor protested.  
  
"I already talked to Najen," Talela replied, her manner poised and very self-assured. "She will take over scanning. She said you need to relax, eat, and get some sleep. You have been up for over forty-eight hours."  
  
"Vulcans can go for long periods without sleep," T'Lor tried to explain. She was cut off by Talela.  
  
"Nothing you say or do will discourage me," the Jedi warned. "You are the only Jedi that I have ever met--besides my parents, of course." That was not exactly true. She had been briefly introduced to a Rebel named Luke Skywalker at the base on Hoth. She had felt a brief connection with him as well, but someone had called him away before she could ask him any questions. "And," Talela said, focusing back on her point, "I am not letting this opportunity go to waste."  
  
"I hypothesized as much," T'Lor said, with as much reluctance as a Vulcan ever showed. "I give you half an hour. What do you propose we do to disprove this theory of yours?"  
  
"I suggest a meditation," Talela said. "I can teach you Jedi techniques."  
  
"Meditation?" T'Lor repeated, feeling some of her chagrin dissipate. Vulcans meditated often; T'Lor had no idea that some Humans were the same. Perhaps this exercise would not be as pointless as she thought.  
  
  
  
  
  
"So, Levek," James began, trying to sound casual. He was unable to suppress a thrill of excitement and nervousness, though--he was just like a secret agent in some old holonovel! James Peter Kirk, brave spy for the Federation, attempting to gain information from a seasoned operative of the Tal Shiar. "Do you have any family back on Romulus?"  
  
"An elder sister, one younger brother, and my two parents," Levek replied from under the console, still repairing the beam systems.  
  
"Oh," James answered back, feigning bored conversation. "I'm an only child."  
  
"It is a pity," Levek muttered. "Elder siblings can teach you things that you would not learn elsewhere. Important things. Values, lessons. I suppose as a Human you would not understand."  
  
"I understand more than you think," James retorted, fuming with anger at the Romulan's repeated arrogance. He forced his voice to remain calm as he went on:  
  
"Well, do you have any ambitions about your future career? What are you going to do when you graduate the Romulan Naval Academy? Go into the military, the science tracks, or perhaps something a little more exotic, like THE INTELLIGENCE SERVICES?"  
  
Najen's head jerked up from her console, her hard blue eyes glaring into James's. His head lowered as he immediately regretted his mistake.  
  
Levek's head peeked out from under the console. The Romulan raised an eyebrow quizzically. "The intelligence services? Do you think all Romulans are spies? No, I shall join the military. How could one pass up action, adventure, and the chance to blow up annoying Federation starships into nova dust?" he joked, giving a jaunty grin as he lowered his head back under the computer console. "Why would I want to sit and decipher codes all day when I could-Yaaaaaahhh!"  
  
The Romulan shrieked, his body convulsing into violent spasms.  
  
James jumped up in surprise, dragging the Romulan out from under the console. Levek's face was unusually gray-or was that normal for a Romulan? James couldn't tell.  
  
"Najen, T'Lor, everybody, get over here! Levek's hurt-and I think it's bad!"  
  
  
  
  
  
Cale glared at the Imperial, trying to control himself. Part of him wanted to eject him into space--or better yet, into a supernova--but Cale had the suspicion that neither Talela nor the Starfleeters would agree with that.  
  
Meanwhile, Koby talked on about some technical nonsense that Cale cared nothing about. Cale grunted the occasional "oh" or "yeah" to simulate the act of listening.  
  
"I think I know why the droid malfunctioned," Koby went on, still wearing the delta-shaped translation device that Najen had given him. "I read about this somewhere. All of the SU-class droids are malfunctioning. You see, Tektaron Laboratories tried to create droids with more intelligence and independence than average. They were trying to create semi- sentient beings. Droids that could reason, form opinions, and think for themselves--and not as they were programmed to think. The experiment failed terribly. Instead of what they wanting, the Tektaron scientists created a bunch of droids with mental disorders, much like the mental disorders that the occasional living being will have."  
  
"Oh," Cale muttered, still focused on the Imperial.  
  
Koby was too excited about his discovery to notice. "Some of the droids were afraid of heights, or the dark, or even of tiny spaces. Other droids were depressed and even suicidal. Still others had something resembling OCD--you know, obsessive-compulsive disorder, where people are consumed with the desire to clean themselves. I think SU-9 had that, among other things."  
  
"That's nice," Cale mumbled.  
  
"You aren't really listening to me, are you?" Koby asked.  
  
"Of course I am," Cale retorted, without much conviction in his voice.  
  
Koby put an arm on Cale's shoulder in a sympathetic gesture. "What's wrong, Cale?" he rumbled, a little too loudly. Koby had forgotten that others besides Cale--namely, a certain Imperial only a meter or so away-- could understand him now.  
  
"Yes," the Imperial agreed, standing up and getting as close to Cale as the forcefield allowed. "What IS wrong, Rebel? You've been staring at me for the past two hours. What, you've never seen a loyal citizen of the Empire before?"  
  
"Oh, I've seen plenty of Imps," Cale growled, moving to his feet in one swift and angry motion. "Once I even saw them come into my house and arrest my father! I saw them plenty of times after that--but I NEVER saw my father again!"  
  
And then they heard the scream.  
  
  
  
  
  
From a separate room at the back of the shuttle, T'Lor joined Talela in a Jedi meditation.  
  
"Now," Talela instructed. "Reach out with your emotions. Remember, the Force is in everything--and everyone. Every plant, insect, or animal is a home to the Force. Just reach out and try to connect..."  
  
T'Lor inwardly sighed. Vulcans kept their emotions under tight control--they certainly did not reach out with them. However, T'Lor had promised Talela that she would try. She hesitated--and then she loosened her grip on her emotions.  
  
T'Lor was adept at meditation (the Vulcan type, at least), and found that imagery helped her concentration. She pretended that tiny tendrils were connecting her to the Force (if it was even really out there, and not some figment of Talela's overactive--and typically Human--imagination). She reached out telepathically and breathed in deeply--  
  
And felt it. It was a presence, vast and peaceful, seeming to flow throughout her entire body. T'Lor felt a serenity (and even a "joy") that she had never known before. So this was the nature of the Force: peace and calm. It was almost...Vulcan. And yet, the Force also seemed to have compassion, and...love. An emotion.  
  
There was also awareness. A deep awareness. T'Lor could feel the emotions of the others in the shuttle. She felt Talela's calm presence, equally aware and connected to her through the Force. Then Najen's determination as she scanned for a way out. She felt James: curious, confused, and slightly embarrassed in a strange mixture of Human emotions. K'Bhena of Qo'Nos, with a warrior's willpower. And Levek of Romulus, who was planning something...but what, she could not guess. Then Cale the Rebel, and Akiran the Imperial both...tormented. By what? A memory? An event? No, it was something else...death--a father! Two fathers. Both killed tragically and violently in the maelstrom of war. T'Lor shuddered involuntarily, jerking her mind out of her connection with the Force.  
  
Talela opened her eyes to glance at T'Lor. "Did you feel that?" she asked.  
  
"To which feeling do you refer?" T'Lor asked. Then she suddenly realized...something was about to happen.  
  
A sharp shriek pierced the air.  
  
"Is he dead?" James asked, looking at the Romulan lying sprawled on the floor in unconsciousness.  
  
"How would I know?" Najen replied.  
  
"Take his pulse," Cale suggested.  
  
"I'm doing that," Najen insisted. Najen knelt over the Romulan's body. Levek was unnaturally still, his arms and legs all stiff...too stiff. Najen, trying to remember everything she had ever learned about Vulcan/Romulan anatomy (which wasn't much), reached out her hand to take a pulse...  
  
"Hah!" Levek cried, springing upward unto his feet. He laughed upon seeing everyone's startled expressions. "You should see your faces! You look like a bunch of frightened hlai!"  
  
It was all a joke.  
  
"I'll show you frightened hlai," K'Bhena growled, grabbing Levek by the collar and pushing him against a bulkhead. "You made us think you were dead! Of all the cowardly, dishonorable acts--"  
  
"It was a joke!" Levek protested. "I was just trying to lighten the mood!"  
  
"You Romulans certainly have a weird sense of humor," James observed wryly.  
  
"Are the weapons upgrades complete?" T'Lor asked, fixing Levek with a hard look.  
  
"Yes, mostly," Levek replied.  
  
"Then you had better finish them," T'Lor began, adding with the utmost calm and lack of any apprehension whatsoever: "Because the Imperial ship is only thirty minutes away."  
  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
END OF CHAPTER NOTES:  
  
Najen: Well, that was a surprising turn of events. Just think: there were Jedi in our galaxy and we didn't even know it. They probably lived their entire lives not knowing how or why they could do the things that they did.  
  
Talela: Well, now you know. Be sure to review and tell us what you think about THIS.  
  
Levek: Vulcan Jedi? Hmmm. I wonder if there are any ROMULAN Jedi...  
  
James: *cringes* Let's hope not...  
  
T'Lor: I believe that Starphoenix will put up the next chapter within a few days. *holds up hand in a split-fingered Vulcan salute* Live long and prosper...and may the Force be with you... 


	8. Chapter 8: A Good Day to Die

CHAPTER 8: A GOOD DAY TO DIE  
  
"You will fail!" Akiran cried, desperation in his voice.  
  
"Somebody sedate him!" Najen ordered. James grabbed a hypospray [a medical instrument] and prepared to do just that.  
  
"How far away?" Najen asked, referring to the Imperial warship.  
  
"Ten minutes," T'Lor reported, the tiniest trace of excitement in her voice.  
  
"And the weapons upgrades?" Najen continued.  
  
"Up and running," Levek replied, confidently taking a place at the weapons console.  
  
"James, is he tranquilized yet?"  
  
Akiran's yells of protest told Najen otherwise.  
  
"I'm workin' on it!" James shouted, wrestling with the Imperial.  
  
K'Bhena grabbed a phaser and took aim, yelling a quick, "Get out of the way!" to James before firing at the Imperial. Akiran crumpled onto the floor.  
  
James whirled around, startled. "Did you...?"  
  
"No," K'Bhena replied. "He is only stunned. He is just lucky he is not on a Klingon ship."  
  
Najen opened a channel to the Riata Ky Hwi. "Are the explosives in position?" she asked.  
  
"Yes," Koby reported.  
  
"Are you ready to beam out?"  
  
"Just a minute," Cale interrupted.  
  
"A minute's about all you have," Najen muttered, nervously watching the scans. She resisted the urge to bite her nails, and instead drummed her fingers on the console impatiently. "Any time now, guys."  
  
"Okay," Cale reported, coming back on the intercom. "We're ready to go."  
  
James activated the transporter, beaming the Human boy and the Wookie back.  
  
"The Imperials are five minutes away," T'Lor reported from the pilot's console.  
  
"I have a transporter lock on Talela," James informed them. "I'll be ready to beam her back as soon as her work is done."  
  
Najen flipped on the intercom. "Did you hear that, Talela?"  
  
"Yes," Talela replied calmly from the cockpit of the Riata, sounding almost as composed as T'Lor. "I'll be fine. May the Force be with you."  
  
"Qapla, Jedi Talela," K'Bhena replied, beating her chest in a salute that Talela could not see. "It is a good day to die."  
  
"That is true," Levek agreed. Then he added, rather ominously, "Prepare to meet the gods of war."  
  
"Enough Romulan theatrics," James interrupted. "The Imperials are two minutes away from firing range."  
  
Najen tugged on her earring. She, like most Bajorans, was very religious, and her earring was a symbol of her religion. Najen said a quick prayer to the Prophets [the Bajoran deities] and prepared to fight for her life.  
  
  
  
  
  
Then, in a storm of red and yellow laser beams, the Imperials arrived.  
  
"Return fire!" Najen ordered.  
  
"Okay," James replied, getting right to work. Levek, from the other weapons console, began firing as well.  
  
"Direct hit to the engines!" Levek crowed, raising his fist in a Romulan gesture of defiance. "Hei-ya-hai!"  
  
Then, a moment later, Levek added, his voice incredulous, "What?! How could we have caused NO damage! That was a direct hit!"  
  
Just after the words left his lips, the shuttle rocked violently, courtesy of the Imperials. Najen was thrown out of her chair and onto the cold hard floor.  
  
"Shields down to fifty percent!" T'Lor reported, having miraculously managed to stay in her chair.  
  
Koby helped Najen rise to her feet and return to her console.  
  
Then the intercom beeped. "I'm going on my attack run now!" Talela reported from the Riata. The clunky little cargo ship began to move toward the Imperial ship, slowly, but surely.  
  
Another volley rocked the side of the Ticonderoga. "Shields down to twelve percent!"  
  
Twelve percent! That was BAD. Just one more hit, and the shields would be gone. Najen didn't think the Ticonderoga could SURVIVE a hit without shields.  
  
Clearly, the Starfleeters had underestimated these Imperials. And now they would pay the price.  
  
Then the intercom sounded again. "This is the Imperial ship Gladius. We are prepared to accept your surrender, Rebels."  
  
K'Bhena punched the intercom and shouted, with all the defiance of her Klingon heritage, "We shall NEVER surrender! Prepare to journey on the Barge of the Dead!"  
  
"Very well then, Rebels," the Imperials responded. "Prepare to die."  
  
Then, to Najen's horror, the Imperials sent fired upon the Riata. The petite little cargo ship didn't stand a chance. Najen watched, helpless, as it exploded into nothingness.  
  
"NOOOO!" Cale howled. "TAAALLEEELLAAAA!"  
  
The next one to speak was James. "I couldn't transport her off in time! I'm sorry."  
  
Tears sprang to Najen's eyes. She wiped them away forcefully and tried to collect her thoughts. Talela was dead, and there was no saving her. But the rest of them could still be saved. And where there was life, there was hope. Najen had to think of the crew now.  
  
"Contact the Imperial ship," Najen whispered hoarsely. "Tell them: we surrender."  
  
"NO!" Akiran shouted from the back, having somehow woken up after being sedated. His eyes were focused on the wreckage that used to be the Riata Ky Hwi, disbelief written all over his face. He had just witnessed cold-blooded murder. And of who? A Rebel, certainly, but a harmless adolescent girl! Akiran felt sick.  
  
Akiran took a deep breath, and hesitated. Yes, it was treason, but it had to be done. Then he said the most difficult words of his life:  
  
"Target the propulsion module at the back of the ship. That's its weak spot."  
  
James complied quickly, not even stopping to humor his suspicion.  
  
But neither Akiran nor James quick enough to save them.  
  
The Imperials sent off a shot of their own.  
  
The Ticonderoga was too damaged, Najen knew. It could not evade the shot-- and neither could it survive it.  
  
Najen closed her eyes and prepared to join the Prophets.  
  
  
  
  
  
But all she heard was the sound of someone clapping. And LAUGHING at them all...  
  
  
  
  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -  
  
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This is not the end of the story. I apologize for the cliffhanger (It seems as if a certain Starhamster42's bad habits are rubbing off on me...) There are only two chapters to go! (I will have the next one up within two days, I promise! I'm not the type of writer who tortures readers with a cliffhanger ending for months on end!)  
  
May the Force be with you! Qapla! 


	9. Chapter 9: A Surprise Guest

CHAPTER 9: THE SURPRISE GUEST  
  
"Amazing!" a voice laughed. "Such defiance! Such courage! Such HUMANITY!"  
  
The owner of the voice was a teenage boy that appeared about their age, with scraggly brown hair and a cocky grin. He wore a Starfleet captain's uniform with a lightsaber on his belt. He looked Human--and yet, what Human could appear on the ship without warning like that?  
  
The newcomer frowned. "Clearly you Humans aren't as smart as I thought. Don't you know who I am?"  
  
T'Lor scrutinized the newcomer. She then looked out the viewport and saw that the Imperial ship was motionless in the middle of space. It was as if time had been frozen.  
  
T'Lor forced back her confused emotions and pursued a logical explanation. Then she realized. The only beings in the galaxy that she had ever heard of with these abilities were the-  
  
"You're correct, T'Lor," the strange boy replied, grinning arrogantly. "You win the big prize." Then, out of nowhere, a bouquet of roses appeared in his hand. He presented them to T'Lor with a flourish.  
  
T'Lor ignored the roses. She narrowed her eyes and stared at the newcomer. "Then you are...?"  
  
"Yes," the boy replied, snapping his hands and causing the roses to disappear abruptly. "I am a Q."  
  
  
  
  
  
HISTORICAL INTERLUDE [an explanation for all the non-Trekkies out there]  
  
The Q [plural] are an arrogant and EXTREMELY powerful alien race. They can alter time, travel to alternate universes, and generally cause chaos and confusion everywhere they go.  
  
Generally, Q have a code of honor type of thing that forbids them from doing that. However, this particular Q is a teenager (YES, a TEENAGER). And if typical counselors and psychiatrists consider HUMAN teens to be moody and uncooperative, then they certainly haven't met THIS young Q. He gives a new definition to the words "mood swing" (a definition involving exploding planets and time-warps).  
  
This teenage Q alone has destroyed the universe a grand total of seven times. His father Q has had to go back in time and fix the universe countless times, each time scolding his impulsive son for altering history. Once the father even had to turn his son into an amoeba as punishment (just think of it as the Q version of "grounding").  
  
Q the Younger has cleaned up his act. Sort of. He still likes to occasionally meddle with the Timeline and teleport people from different eras into the same place, where they often fight, much to the amusement of the Q. As long as Q the Younger puts the teleported specimens back in their normal times (without any memory of what has happened, of course), his father lets him "play".  
  
And now, back to Q's latest game...  
  
  
  
"Kuuu?" Koby asked, struggling to pronounce the Human word and giving a short growl of confusion. "What's a Kuuuu?" "It's 'Q', my enormously stupid bipedal friend," Q replied arrogantly.  
  
"Did YOU cause this?" Najen asked, standing up in order to be at a height level to the Q.  
  
The Q grinned, "Yes, of course. Amusing, isn't it? People from two completely different galaxies, from entirely different times...I believe this has been one of my better ideas. Sometimes I impress even myself."  
  
"That must not be too hard," Levek retorted, his voice cocky enough to rival even Q's arrogance.  
  
The Q smiled haughtily. "Ah, Levek. A loyal young soldier of the proud Romulan Empire. Bah! Did you know that your people will destroy themselves within the next three millennia? You Romulans aren't nearly as clever as you think."  
  
"Send us back, Q," James interrupted. "Just SEND US BACK."  
  
"What? Is the little bipedal Human trying to act like Captain Kirk? Do you think I will send you back just because you ASK me to? Ah, Humans are so naïve."  
  
K'Bhena whipped out her knife and pressed it to the alien's throat. "Do it!" she growled, pressing Q into the bulkhead.  
  
Unfazed, Q simply snapped his fingers. Immediately, a cage appeared around K'Bhena.  
  
"What is this?!" K'Bhena growled, banging her hands on the bars surrounding her.  
  
"Well, I can't leave a Klingon savage like you unsupervised. It's just not SAFE. You understand, don't you?"  
  
"LET ME OUT!" K'Bhena roared. "Release me or I shall cut out your heart and feed it to my brother's pet targ!"  
  
"Now, now, K'Bhena." the Q chastised, shaking his head in a patronizing expression. "It's not the time for threats. Besides, I don't have a heart--not like the ones you bipedals have, anyway."  
  
Cale finally regained his grip on reality. He ran forward and wrapped his hands around the alien's neck, choking the Q.  
  
"YOU KILLED TALELA!" he screamed, too caught up in his rage to think straight.  
  
Q snapped his fingers and immediately disappeared.  
  
"Don't tell me I need a cage for you too, Cale," Q murmured, appearing at the other side of the cabin.  
  
Cale, his eyes wild with grief, started toward the Q.  
  
Q sighed. "Very well. I'll bring back the Jedi. I wasn't going to LEAVE her dead, anyway. I respect the Jedi; they are among the most evolved of your entire pathetic species--which doesn't say much, I suppose. Oh, well." Q snapped his fingers.  
  
Talela appeared in the middle of the group. She gasped, looking around and seeing the Q. "What is going on here?"  
  
  
  
  
  
"So this entire Void: the battle, the death, the fear--it's just a GAME to you?" Najen demanded, glaring at the Q.  
  
"Yes," the Q replied. "You bipedal species are so...primitive. Why, a Q playing with you is like a Human child playing with...insects."  
  
"We wish to go back," T'Lor declared, ignoring the Q's insults. "NOW, Q."  
  
Q sighed. "I guess the fun is over. I'll send you back...in one hour." He immediately disappeared.  
  
"An hour?" James asked. "Why the wait?"  
  
Najen looked around, at the people from another galaxy, the friends she would never see again. She mournfully replied:  
  
"To say goodbye."  
  
  
  
  
  
Everyone said their private goodbyes. Najen could hear snatches of conversation every now and then.  
  
"So, what sports do they play on Earth?" Cale was asking James. Despite their minor rivalry over Talela, Najen could see the two boys had a lot in common.  
  
"Now," K'Bhena said, turning to Koby. "Tell me about Wookiee fighting methods. Your people sound like a race of warriors."  
  
At the back of the ship, Talela was showing T'Lor her lightsaber. T'Lor slowly, deliberately moved the golden blade from side to side, a look of intense concentration on her face.  
  
As for Levek and Akiran, the two most "deceptive" members of the team, Najen could see them talking in the cockpit. As to what they were talking about, Najen could only hear occasional phrases.  
  
"A proud empire..." Levek was saying. "...but there is no shame...in you...see..." He sounded like he was giving advice.  
  
Akiran was nodding seriously. "...I shall. Thank you."  
  
Levek nodded back, and replied "...wish you courage...Jolan true...friend."  
  
Then Q appeared. "Time's up, bipedals. Time to go back to your separate rat cages."  
  
"Rat cages?" Najen asked, narrowing her eyes.  
  
The arrogant boy Q shrugged. "Just a saying among the Continuum [the organization of all Q in the universe]. Stop your chitchat now; time to go."  
  
  
  
  
  
"Good luck with your Rebellion," Najen said, solemnly shaking Cale's hand. "If there is anything we can do to help..."  
  
"It's okay," Cale replied. "I wouldn't want you guys to break your Prime Directive. At the risk of sounding corny, I must say...the Empire is EVIL. They aren't fighting for the right side. And that's why they're gonna lose."  
  
"Good ultimately wins out over evil," Najen said, echoing her Bajoran religious teachings.  
  
She smiled at the Rebels. "My people had their own Rebellion a few decades ago. Against a species called the Cardassians, who had conquered Bajor, our homeworld. We won--as you too will win."  
  
"With many glorious battles along the way," K'Bhena added, raising her fist in salute. "Qapla! Success to your Rebel Alliance!"  
  
"Qapla," Cale replied, awkwardly returning the salute. Koby added a Wookiee war cry that needed no translation.  
  
"You Rebels have great determination," Levek observed. "You will win," he stated confidently. "No one knows war like a Romulan--and so trust me when I say that you WILL defeat the Empire."  
  
"T'Lor," Talela said, stepping forward. "I would like to give you this." She held out the metal tube that T'Lor had come to recognize as her "lightsaber".  
  
"I cannot accept this," T'Lor replied, shaking her head. "It is yours."  
  
"I can always build another," Talela replied smoothly. "You cannot. And so I give this to you. Use it well."  
  
T'Lor reluctantly held out her hand and grasped the cool piece of metal. She held it reverently.  
  
"Remember," Talela warned, in a serious tone uncommon for the cheerful young Jedi. "You must always serve the light side of the Force. Never submit to the dark, or your life will forever be governed by evil."  
  
"I understand," T'Lor replied, her tone equally solemn.  
  
"I trust that you will restore the Jedi order in your galaxy and pass on what you have learned."  
  
"Of course. It is the only LOGICAL course of action," T'Lor added. She paused before continuing.  
  
T'Lor raised her hand in a split-fingered Vulcan salute. "May the Force be with you, Talela--with all of you: Cale, Kobawcca, Akiran."  
  
Talela returned the Vulcan salute. "Live long and prosper, Jedi T'Lor."  
  
"Good luck," James added.  
  
"Same to you," Cale replied. "After all, you have a war too. Against the 'Dominion'." James nodded a confirmation.  
  
"Okay, enough with the sentimental moments," Q muttered. "Time to go back." He snapped his fingers.  
  
Najen looked away from the Q to catch a last glimpse of her friends. She saw Talela, standing up straight with an aura of serene dignity about her. Koby was looking around nervously, his reddish-brown head cocked at a thoughtful angle. Cale had narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists, bracing himself for whatever was about to come. Akiran too was preparing, a look of hard determination in his face.  
  
And then those from Najen's own galaxy. T'Lor, holding the lightsaber in one hand and a tricorder [a Star Trek scanner instrument] in the other. Levek, grinning cockily as if nothing in the world could frighten him. K'Bhena, her fist in the air, sending a salute to her comrades and friends. James, shouting one last question at the Q, something like "Will we ever see them again?" If Q answered, Najen never heard it.  
  
Najen opened her mouth to say one last goodbye, but found it swallowed by a sudden rush of wind. Bright colors danced before her eyes, making her dizzy and exhilarated all at once. It was stranger than any transporter she had ever journeyed on; but then again, it wasn't any ordinary teleportation.  
  
And then they were gone.  
  
  
  
  
  
NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR: Whoever is reading this, thanks for sticking with me for so long. And whoever is lurking around and not reviewing--shame on you! *whips out lightsaber* REVIEW! *puts lightsaber away* Please?  
  
This is NOT the end of the story. There is ONE chapter left, after which I plan to write a sequel. I'm not done writing the last chapter yet. You can expect it during Christmas Break. (If I get reviews asking me to write it sooner, I might reconsider.)  
  
Thanks for reading!  
  
May the Force be with you!  
  
Live long and prosper!  
  
And, of course, "qapla"! 


End file.
